LATEST NEWS
Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Effort prepares for worst-case scenario at Depot

By HAL McCUNE of the East Oregonian
hmccune@eastoregonian.com



TOP: Good Shepherd Medical Center staff member Frank Ehrmantraut rolls Rachel Gorbett, 16, on her side as co-worker Tom Rattray spray washes her at a chemical decontamination center Tuesday during the CSEPP drill at Good Shepherd in Hermiston. BOTTOM: Hermiston firefighters Sean Basford, top, and John Lehue carry Devon Roxbury, 15, of Umatilla into a decontamination tent Tuesday during the annual CSEPP drill in Hermiston. The drill is meant to test the readiness of local emergency personnel in the event of a chemical accident at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. Staff photo by E.J. Harris
HERMISTON — Hundreds of people in Umatilla and Morrow counties, from emergency responders to Red Cross volunteers, practiced dealing with disaster at the Umatilla Chemical Depot on Tuesday.

In the simulated event, there was an explosion while loading two pallets of M55 rockets filled with GB nerve agent — the type of chemical weapon now being destroyed at the Depot incineration complex — that injured several workers and could have sent a plume of nerve agent into the air.

Everyone involved in the annual CSEPP emergency preparedness drill knew it was coming, but not precisely when. The call came into the depot operations center at 5:09 p.m.

Within 10 minutes, Depot Commander Lt. Col. Doc Holliday had given the order for those on base to “shelter in place” and was conferring with staff about the potential danger to nearby communities.

The siren system, sounding Westminister chimes to indicate it was a drill, alerted the public of the event, and message boards and tone alert radios noted a drill was in progress.

There were nearly as many observers in the operations center as staff. They came from other chemical depots around the country to evaluate their counterparts at Umatilla.

In the scenario, a slight wind was blowing the plume of nerve agent toward Umatilla and Benton City. Decontamination centers were set up at Good Shepherd Medical Center and the Hermiston Community Center. Reception centers for evacuees were established at Wildhorse Casino east of Pendleton and the old Kinzua plant just north of Heppner. A joint information center at the Umatilla County Justice Building in Pendleton responded to mock public and media phone calls.

Observers shadowed responders in every phase of the drill. Their observations will be compiled and presented in a review of the drill Friday morning.

Mary Binder, Depot public affairs officer, said the intent is to make the training exercise more challenging each year.

“We don’t want everything to go perfect,” she said. “That’s how we improve.”

She said preliminary feedback from observers was positive.

As often happens during the drills, emergency crews had to juggle “real world” demands with the exercise. Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services responded to a fire and three ambulance calls during the drill.

At the decontamination sites, a recorded message repeatedly blared directions in English and Spanish:

“Please be patient. We will help the sickest people first and we will help you as soon as possible ... you’ll take showers to get clean, and then dress in a gown before exiting the trailer.”

Erin Kauffman and Brianna Williams, sophomores at Umatilla High School, were patient volunteers at the Community Center. A card dangling from their necks explained they had suffered minor exposure and were complaining of a headache and runny nose.

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking,” Kauffman said of playing the part of the victim. The firefighters were dressed in full protective gear, including gas masks that muffled their voices.

Williams, whose uncle works at the Depot, said she’s not bothered by living so close to chemical weapons, and both girls said they don’t think about it much but have confidence in the emergency procedures.

After an initial medical check, the two were sent through the three-minute decontamination showers in trailers set up by the Umatilla and Hermiston fire departments. The firefighters can set up the trailers and medical tents, connect water hoses and establish a secure perimeter in less than 30 minutes, said Rob Mathis, a Hermiston firefighter.

Rick Rice of Good Shepherd said hospital workers regularly practice setting up the Mobile Decontamination Response Unit, which was situated just outside the front door. “We have a crew of about 40 volunteers who have been trained and fitted with suits,” Rice said.

Emergency room staff conduct the medical evaluations, and hospital volunteers from many other departments pitch in to provide security and escort patients.

Hospital officials are in constant contact with the Depot operations center, Rice said. In a real emergency, the hospital would lock down and activate its pressurization system until it could verify it was safe to operate normally.

Several volunteers went through the decontamination showers at the hospital, including daughters of employees and several Boy Scouts inspired by the chance to earn merit badges through public service.